Janet's Blog

It's a balmy, summer afternoon, 82 degrees, with a light breeze. The sound of a neighbor's lawn mower wafts in through my open window. I can hear a dove cooing nearby. As I look out my kitchen window, I can see dozens of gorgeous hollyhocks, blooming against the fence in several dazzling shades of pink, with a few calming white blossoms mixed in here and there. And the air smells-- summery, just like summer should smell, like freshly mowed grass and sweetly scented roses, with just a hint of mower exhaust thrown in for good measure. Days like this remind me of those lazy summer days we spent in Bloomfield with Grandma and Grandpa Wegner. Often, Dan and I, and Laura, too, when she was old enough, would stay for the week that Vacation Bible School was in session at First Trinity Lutheran Church, just a short block's walk up the hill from Grandma's house. I suppose that this morning's VBS here in Gering, at Calvary Memorial Church, has triggered some memories of lon...

Now, in this twenty-first century, we are living in another house with hot water heat, which means that we don't have any duct work to accommodate central air. So, we make do with a window air conditioner in our bedroom, and several fans, including a whole-house attic fan that draws the cool, night time air into our house as we sleep, just as the enormous roof fans at the Hotel Mary-Etta kept the guests' rooms pleasantly cool in the summer, way back in the 1960s. Because we live in western Nebraska now, with its relatively dry climate, we manage without central air just fine, most of the time. I've never lived in a house with central air. When I was a young child, I didn't even know anybody whose house had central air conditioning. Oh, a few people had window air conditioners that made those hottest summer days a little more bearable, as long as you stayed in the same room. But, even in 100 degree weather, most people made do with fans. When my family moved from N...

I got my hair cut today. I visit my hair stylist every four weeks so I can avoid the "shaggies." All she ever does for me is cut my hair. I gave up perms way back in the 90's, when I finally determined that natural, straight hair, was better than frizz, at least for me. Since then, I suppose I've carried the natural look a little farther than most women my age do. You see, I've never colored my hair. Never. I remember those days, long ago, when it was almost a sin to dye your hair. I remember that Miss Clairol slogan, "only her hairdresser knows for sure," meaning that your dyed hair could look so natural that no one would ever guess you (gasp) dyed it. If you're feeling a little nostalgic, you can  click here to see the actual commercial. In recent years, as I am still raising children, I've thought about dying my hair so my kids' friends will be more likely to treat me like the mom I am, instead of the grandma I appear to be. I ca...

Most of us have heard that saying, "An elephant never forgets." It's true that elephants are among the most intelligent animals in all of God's creation. At 11 pounds, an adult elephant's brain has more mass than that of any other land animal. Elephants are known to live in family groups of up to 25 female and juvenile elephants. Individual elephants often form lifelong bonds with other elephants, and actually mourn the loss of other elephants from their herd. When an elephant dies, other elephants will gather around their dead family member. Sometimes, grieving elephants even cry real, visible tears as they mourn the loss of another elephant. Some elephants remain at the site of a death for several days before they move on. It isn't unusual for an elephant to return, repeatedly, to the place where a friend or family member died. I guess it's true: an elephant never forgets. From a purely scientific standpoint, we can say that human beings are a lot li...